Passed speed camera and pulled by Gardai

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 12:24PM #1

Long story warning!

Today I was driving along a dual carriageway in a 100km/h zone doing about 120km/h. As I was overtaking in the right lane I noticed a gosafe van and slowed down significantly, but im still not sure if it caught me or not.
Just as I had done this, I noticed a Garda car with blue lights in coming up behind me at speed to pull me over. The Garda gave me 3 points and an €80 fine for speeding understandably.

My question is, what do I do if I now also get a fine for being caught by the gosafe van? I know it’s my own fault for speeding in the first place, but I can hardly be done twice for the one speeding offense? I was literally pulled over by the Garda not even 200 meters from the van.

Thanks in advance guys!

XsApollo · 18-04-2019 12:31PM

200 meters after the van or before the van.
Go safe van doesn’t detect 200 meters down the road as far as I know.
2 and a half times the width of the road is the distance it detects.
So you basically have to be on top of them to get caught by them.

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 01:45PM

XsApollo wrote: »

200 meters after the van or before the van.
Go safe van doesn’t detect 200 meters down the road as far as I know.
2 and a half times the width of the road is the distance it detects.
So you basically have to be on top of them to get caught by them.

Sorry, what I mean is I braked about 50 meters before the van, and immediately after that I saw the gardai behind me with blues on. It was 200 meters down the road that I was pulled into the hard shoulder speaking with the Garda.

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 04:54PM

Anybody able to help me here?

jasper100 · 18-04-2019 05:06PM

BuzzMcdonnell wrote: »

Anybody able to help me here?

Wait until you get the fine and worry about it then.

Presumably you would have to go to court and argue your case and the judge may agree that you only pay the fine once.

rgodard80a · 18-04-2019 05:09PM

XsApollo wrote: »

2 and a half times the width of the road is the distance it detects.
So you basically have to be on top of them to get caught by them.

That sounds like BS.

If you're going to outfit a custom built speed detection van, I'd fully expect it to nail you with the best long range laser detection system.

If you get double charged, then I'm sure you've definitely a right to challenge ONE of those offenses. But don't expect to get off both of them.

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 05:16PM

rgodard80a wrote: »

That sounds like BS.

If you're going to outfit a custom built speed detection van, I'd fully expect it to nail you with the best long range laser detection system.

If you get double charged, then I'm sure you've definitely a right to challenge ONE of those offenses. But don't expect to get off both of them.

Of course i have absolutely no problem paying the fine and taking the points for one of them, but I just don’t think it’s fair to be charged twice for the one offense.

Twenty Grand · 18-04-2019 05:18PM

BuzzMcdonnell wrote: »

Of course i have absolutely no problem paying the fine and taking the points for one of them, but I just don’t think it’s fair to be charged twice for the one offense.

Suppose it depends how you define the one offence.

Let's say the gosafe van was 3km before the garda, and both caught you speeding.

Is that one offence or two offences?

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 05:27PM

Twenty Grand wrote: »

Suppose it depends how you define the one offence.

Let's say the gosafe van was 3km before the garda, and both caught you speeding.

Is that one offence or two offences?

I know where you’re coming from. It was nowhere near 3km in my case though.
To give a bit of perspective, when I passed the gosafe van I had just began to slow down as I noticed the Garda car in my mirror, but did not immediately realise he was coming after me.

goldenhoarde · 18-04-2019 05:58PM

rgodard80a wrote: »

That sounds like BS.

If you're going to outfit a custom built speed detection van, I'd fully expect it to nail you with the best long range laser detection system.

If you get double charged, then I'm sure you've definitely a right to challenge ONE of those offenses. But don't expect to get off both of them.

Anywhere but Ireland and I'd agree ðŸ€£ðŸ€£ðŸ€£

Rubberchikken · 18-04-2019 06:01PM

i think it would be perfectly fair to charge you twice.
you're driving in a 100k zone and you choose to drive at 120.
tough.

Spook_ie · 18-04-2019 06:04PM

I think the real answer will lie in what speeds you are charged with, if the Garda clocked you in excess of the 120 and then the Speed van clocked you at 110/115 in the 100 zone you might not have as much wriggle room as you'd like. Also would likely depend on if you were clocked in two different speed zones say 80 and 100

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 06:05PM

Rubberchikken wrote: »

i think it would be perfectly fair to charge you twice.
you're driving in a 100k zone and you choose to drive at 120.
tough.

Explain how it’s perfectly fair?
Yes I broke the law, hardly crime of the century though.
It’s hardly fair to get 6 penalty points for that.

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 06:06PM

Spook_ie wrote: »

I think the real answer will lie in what speeds you are charged with, if the Garda clocked you in excess of the 120 and then the Speed van clocked you at 110/115 in the 100 zone you might not have as much wriggle room as you'd like. Also would likely depend on if you were clocked in two different speed zones say 80 and 100

I get you, was definitely the same speed limit though, only down the road from each other on a dual carriageway.

SVI40 · 18-04-2019 06:21PM

XsApollo wrote: »

200 meters after the van or before the van.
Go safe van doesn’t detect 200 meters down the road as far as I know.
2 and a half times the width of the road is the distance it detects.
So you basically have to be on top of them to get caught by them.

According to a pal in the Roads Policing, they have a range of 1Km. Naturally, it will depend on traffic and how close cars are to each other, but on an empty road, 1Km.

Irishphotodesk · 18-04-2019 06:30PM

BuzzMcdonnell wrote: »

Explain how it’s perfectly fair?
Yes I broke the law, hardly crime of the century though.
It’s hardly fair to get 6 penalty points for that.

Crime of the century it may not be but technically it is correct.

Both the Garda and go safe van potentially caught you speeding at different points along the road, the Garda possibly clocked you maybe a kilometer or more before the go safe van possibly caught you (it just took time for Garda to catch up to you).

Did the Garda show you the speedgun with the speed on it ? Or did he/she just tell you they saw you speeding ?

Unfortunately if you were caught twice you have to accept the 6points or risk it increasing to 8points if you try to challenge one of them and fail, if successful however, it would be only 3points.

Unfortunately for you we don’t have fairness in our courts system, we have courts of law, not courts of justice.

What Username Guidelines · 18-04-2019 06:34PM

I wouldn’t recommend it as it would sound quite cheeky, but wonder what the garda would say if you suggested that if you were actually speeding, then the van would have clocked you

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 06:38PM

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

Crime of the century it may not be but technically it is correct.

Both the Garda and go safe van potentially caught you speeding at different points along the road, the Garda possibly clocked you maybe a kilometer or more before the go safe van possibly caught you (it just took time for Garda to catch up to you).

Did the Garda show you the speedgun with the speed on it ? Or did he/she just tell you they saw you speeding ?

Unfortunately if you were caught twice you have to accept the 6points or risk it increasing to 8points if you try to challenge one of them and fail, if successful however, it would be only 3points.

Unfortunately for you we don’t have fairness in our courts system, we have courts of law, not courts of justice.

He never showed me the gun I’m afraid.

My thinking would be if I went to court, and say I was clocked by the Garda at 10:31 and also clocked by the van at 10:31, it might show that it was the same speeding offense.

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 06:39PM

What Username Guidelines wrote: »

I wouldn’t recommend it as it would sound quite cheeky, but wonder what the garda would say if you suggested that if you were actually speeding, then the van would have clocked you

Wouldn’t fancy trying that anyway!

Lmklad · 18-04-2019 06:44PM

Wait till the tickets arrive. Send a photocopy of the tickets to the fines office in Thurles, you can ask that one be appealed. Better then waiting to go to court.

Irishphotodesk · 18-04-2019 06:49PM

BuzzMcdonnell wrote: »

He never showed me the gun I’m afraid.

My thinking would be if I went to court, and say I was clocked by the Garda at 10:31 and also clocked by the van at 10:31, it might show that it was the same speeding offense.

If he didn’t show you the handheld radar, he has no physical proof you were speeding ...risky to challenge this as it’s essentially your word against a Garda if you go to court and chances are you probably admitted speeding after he pulled you in (in a you versus Garda situation in court you more than likely would loose, but could be successful on appeal...road traffic appeals are more lenient than district court judges dealing with road traffic offenses.)

If the go safe van did clock you, it’s possible you will have to suck up the 6points (each caught you speeding at different places)

18-04-2019 06:58PM

BuzzMcdonnell wrote:

Sorry, what I mean is I braked about 50 meters before the van, and immediately after that I saw the gardai behind me with blues on. It was 200 meters down the road that I was pulled into the hard shoulder speaking with the Garda.

The Gardai clocked you a half mile/mile or more before the speed van. The fact that you were stopped 200 meters from the van doesn't mean that you were clocked 200 metres from the van

XsApollo · 18-04-2019 08:40PM

rgodard80a wrote: »

That sounds like BS.

If you're going to outfit a custom built speed detection van, I'd fully expect it to nail you with the best long range laser detection system.

If you get double charged, then I'm sure you've definitely a right to challenge ONE of those offenses. But don't expect to get off both of them.

It’s written somewhere on their site , I’ll dig it out.
I didn’t make it up and I’m nearly sure I read it somewhere official.

EDIT: I dunno know if they have a site , i remember reading it tho. :-D

EDIT 2 : can’t find anything on that.
And I’m going to sleep. Maybe I dreamt it.

Alkers · 18-04-2019 10:02PM

It's worth pursuing imo, if you're caught for multiple offences, you can be fined for each but you only get the points for the offence which carries the most points.

Effects · 18-04-2019 10:13PM

rgodard80a wrote: »

That sounds like BS.
If you're going to outfit a custom built speed detection van, I'd fully expect it to nail you with the best long range laser detection system.

They catch an average of one car an hour. I'd imagine they have a certain smallish area that they can catch you within and that's it. I know a lot of people who were speeding, thought they were going to get a fine after spotting the van, then received nothing in the post.

BuzzMcdonnell · 18-04-2019 10:43PM

Simona1986 wrote: »

It's worth pursuing imo, if you're caught for multiple offences, you can be fined for each but you only get the points for the offence which carries the most points.

I think the best bet is to wait until I get the fines and arrange a meeting with a solicitor who specializes in road traffic law.

Muppet Man · 18-04-2019 11:10PM

Slightly off topic... Wasn’t there a case brought to court a while back where someone out by the airport M1 junction was clocked speeding by a go safe 5 days in a row (or something like that) and effectively lost his license? IIRC he challenged it in court and said he didn’t see the go safe nor the speed limit and since he hadn’t received a fine in the post (yet) said he didn’t know he was being fined (and would have slowed down if he did) . I think the judge was lenient on him and was allowed to keep his license.

Credit Checker Moose · 19-04-2019 01:29PM

Look up continuous offences. I won't be engaging in AH moralising.

Cordell · 19-04-2019 01:42PM

Not trying to moralize the OP, just asking genuinely: I usually drive with the cruise control set at 125, which will put me at around legal limit in real speed. Let's say there are 2 speed vans 50kms away (in different counties), and it's a quiet very early morning with no traffic so it's safe to assume that my speed will stay constant. Let's say I forget where I am and set the cruise control at 140. Will I be committing 2 offences, or just one?

slipperyox · 19-04-2019 01:44PM

Presumably the gosafe also caught the cop speeding to catch up with you?:p

Del2005 · 19-04-2019 01:50PM

Muppet Man wrote: »

Slightly off topic... Wasn’t there a case brought to court a while back where someone out by the airport M1 junction was clocked speeding by a go safe 5 days in a row (or something like that) and effectively lost his license? IIRC he challenged it in court and said he didn’t see the go safe nor the speed limit and since he hadn’t received a fine in the post (yet) said he didn’t know he was being fined (and would have slowed down if he did) . I think the judge was lenient on him and was allowed to keep his license.

That was 5 separate offences. The OP was speeding and caught twice for the same offence.

Passed speed camera and pulled by Gardai

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